2011 Grassland Bird
Survey – Volunteers Needed!
28 January 2011 - Volunteer
surveyors are needed for our Grassland Bird Survey (GBS) beginning in
Spring 2011. The GBS is a collaborative effort of Bird Studies Canada,
Wildlife Preservation Canada, and the Canadian Wildlife Service to
locate Loggerhead Shrike (migrans subspecies) while at the same time
collecting information on other grassland bird species associated with
shrike habitat. The survey results will help to improve our
understanding of bird species composition in Ontario’s remaining
grasslands.
Grassland birds have demonstrated
more significant and widespread population declines than any other group
of North American birds. Given its need for large areas of suitable
habitat, the Loggerhead Shrike serves as a flagship species for
grassland birds in general. The GBS will focus on grassland habitats in
the key breeding areas of the Loggerhead Shrike including the Carden,
Napanee, and Smiths Falls limestone plains, the area around
Pembroke/Renfrew, Grey, and Bruce Counties in the Bruce Peninsula, and
Manitoulin Island. Participants will be asked to complete a survey of a
suite of grassland bird species compiled based on North American
migratory bird population trends as well as results of the second
Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. Surveyors will conduct 15-minute roadside
surveys along assigned ‘sites’ from which high quality, grassland
habitat is visible. Each volunteer will be provided with a survey kit
containing detailed survey methodology, data forms, and survey maps.
If you are interested in
participating in this project and would like more information, please
contact the GBS Coordinator, Erica Lagios, at Wildlife Preservation
Canada, 519-836-9314 or 1 (800) 956-6608 (toll free), or by email
gbs@wildlifepreservation.ca.
Please confirm your participation prior to March 18, 2011. We hope we
can count on your support!
Beached Bird Workshop – Lower Mainland BC on
February 5th
28 January 2011 - If you enjoy
walking your local beaches looking for interesting things that have
washed up, we invite you to learn how you can participate in the British
Columbia Beached Bird Survey Program. Karen Barry, BSC’s BC Program
Officer, is hosting a free beached bird workshop as
part of the Birds on the Bay Program annual celebration. The walk
will be held on Saturday
February 5th from 10 am to 12 noon starting in Sanford Hall at Kwomais
Point Park in South Surrey (128th Street at 14th Ave). The goal of the
program is to collect important information about waterbird mortality on
Canada’s west coast. The
BC Beached Bird Survey Program
relies on volunteers to conduct monthly beach walks looking for seabird
carcasses that have washed up and also to note other environmental
concerns such as oil spill incidents.
The workshop will include an
introduction to the program, training for identifying dead birds,
followed by a walk along the beach to put the training into action.
Anyone interested in birds or conservation is welcome to attend
including those already participating in BC’s Beached Bird Program.
Dress for the weather and bring binoculars if you have them. More
information is available from the
Birds on the Bay Program, or contact Karen at
bcprograms@birdscanada.org.
Survey Opportunities in
Ontario and the Great Lakes Basin
28
January 2011 – Volunteers are needed this Spring to play an
important part in BSC’s Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey and the Great Lakes
Marsh Monitoring Program.
The Nocturnal Owl Survey tracks
owl populations across central and northern Ontario and is the only
targeted survey for this mysterious group of birds in the province. This
survey helps monitor the long-term health of Ontario’s owl populations.
The Marsh Monitoring Program
provides long-term monitoring of marsh birds and anurans (frogs and
toads) in marshes throughout the Great Lakes basin. Data collected is
used to monitor the health of the Great Lakes and its marshes.
Materials for both programs will
be mailed out to participants in early March so if you are interested,
please contact Kathy Jones at volunteer@birdscanada.org. You may
view a map of available owl survey routes and
available marsh monitoring routes.
For more information on these programs
visit
Bird Studies Canada’s website.
Ontario Atlas – Available in French
28 January 2011 – The
Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario,
2001-2005 is now available in French under the title Atlas des oiseaux
nicheurs de l’Ontario, 2001-2005 and is
available here
for $63 including tax and shipping.
The Atlas is a monumental achievement. Not only is it a stirring
example of co-operative research but the detailed results have been
presented with a remarkable clarity and style. Invaluable for the
thoroughness of its science, the Atlas is also a wonderful book to
simply browse. The species accounts are clean, jargon-free, and
inviting; the graphics contain a wealth of visual information; and the
text is profusely illustrated with photographs of the birds. This book
is a must for everyone interested in birds, Ontario, and the natural
world.
– Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson Joint Honorary Presidents of BirdLife International's Rare Bird Club
The Atlas project was sponsored by Bird Studies Canada, Environment
Canada, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, and Ontario Nature.
L’Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs de l’Ontario maintenant disponible en
français
28 janvier 2011 – L’Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs de l’Ontario,
2001-2005 est maintenant disponible en français. Vous pouvez vous
le
procurer au coût de 63 $, incluant taxes et frais d’envoi.
L’Atlas représente un accomplissement monumental. Il s’agit non
seulement de l’aboutissement impressionnant d’un projet de recherche
coopérative, mais ses résultats sont aussi présentés avec une clarté et
un style remarquable. C’est un livre qui est à la fois riche en contenu
scientifique et à la fois tout simplement fabuleux à consulter. Les
textes accompagnant chaque espèce sont clairs, exempts de charabia et
invitants à lire. Les graphiques présentent une foule de détails de
façon claire, et le texte est abondamment agrémenté de photos d’oiseaux.
Ce livre est indispensable pour toute personne intéressée aux oiseaux, à
l’Ontario et au monde naturel.
– Margaret Atwood et Graeme Gibson Co-présidents honoraires du Club
des oiseaux rares de BirdLife International
Le projet de l’Atlas a été mené par Études d’Oiseaux Canada,
Environnement Canada, le ministère des Richesses naturelles de l’Ontario,
Ontario Field Ornithologists et Ontario Nature.
New Staff at Long Point Waterfowl
28 January 2011 – Long Point Waterfowl (LPW) has a new staff member –
Dr. Mike Schummer was hired in early January as the LPW Scientist
responsible for helping to formulate, guide, and conduct waterfowl and
wetland research in the Great Lakes region. He will also provide
scientific support and counsel to LPW graduate students and staff.
Mike is a former graduate student with LPW where he conducted
research on the ecology of wintering sea ducks at Lake Ontario from 2002
to 2004 leading to completion of his doctorate in Zoology from the
University of Western Ontario in 2005. Following completion of his PhD,
he worked for two years as the State of Maine’s Game Bird Biologist
where he was in charge of assessment, monitoring, and management of
waterfowl, Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, and Woodcock populations. Prior
to accepting employment with LPW, Mike worked at Mississippi State
University from 2007 to 2010 as a post-doctoral Research Associate where
he conducted waterfowl and wetlands research, taught graduate and
undergraduate wildlife courses, and advised graduate student research.
Mike is originally from western New York and his wife (Sarah Fleming)
is from North Bay, Ontario. Mike and Sarah have worked collaboratively
on several waterfowl and wetlands research projects including Common
Eider nest success on coastal islands in Maine and effects of management
on wetland vegetation in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. They also are
co-authors, along with three other graduate students from MSU, of a book
scheduled for release in Fall 2011 entitled “Moist-soil Wetland Plants
of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.” Sarah obtained her BSc from the
University of Western Ontario and MSc from Mississippi State University.
Sarah is currently the Ducks Unlimited Inc. New York Regional Biologist.
Mike and Sarah spend much of their free time outdoors hunting and
fishing with their black Labrador Retriever and two Chesapeake Bay
Retrievers. Mike may be reached at
mschummer@birdscanada.org, 1 (888)
448-2473 extension 152.
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